“I’m extremely disappointed in the lack of due process from the association. Any time you deliver a sanction or punishment that is as severe as this one, without due process and ignoring medical evidence then the system is broken, and they’re not seeking to make it right. They’re seeking what’s easy. This was not a kick. This was a young man injured on a play and the state is refusing to give that any weight.”

Mike Favero, Logan High head football coach

LOGAN — Logan will take on Olympus in the 4A quarterfinals this Friday without its starting quarterback.

Senior Chase Nelson was ejected from last Friday’s win over Bountiful, which automatically results in his suspension from at least one subsequent game, according to the rules governing high school sports.

Logan administrators and coaches asked the Utah High School Activities Association to review footage of the play, which occurred midway through the second quarter after Nelson ran for a touchdown. Two different officials threw their flags at the same time, calling a personal foul on Nelson for kicking at a Bountiful player who’d tackled him.

Logan officials didn’t assert that Nelson did not kick his leg, only that the kicking motion was an involuntary reflexive response to pain in his knee as he tried to free himself from the defensive player’s grasp.

Early Monday morning, administrators submitted a letter from head coach Mike Favero and a letter from Dr. Marlowe Goble explaining why the response would occur and why Nelson should not be suspended for another game.

The Utah High School Activities Association normally doesn’t allow players to appeal ejections, so Monday’s discussion was not a formal appeal.

“Our rules do not allow an appeal by the players,” said Mike Petty, supervisor of officials for the Utah High School Activities Association. “In some situations, in the interest of fairness, we will review a case. It’s not an appeal. But we did take a look at film from (several) different angles. We saw no evidence that shows we should overturn the ejection.”

Logan head football coach Mike Favero was upset that Nelson wasn’t even afforded a hearing on the ejection.

“I’m extremely disappointed in the lack of due process from the association,” Favero said. “Any time you deliver a sanction or punishment that is as severe as this one, without due process and ignoring medical evidence then the system is broken, and they’re not seeking to make it right. They’re seeking what’s easy. This was not a kick. This was a young man injured on a play and the state is refusing to give that any weight.”

Petty said that in addition to reviewing the information provided by Logan High, which included a written report from Goble, and watching several videos of the play, they discussed the call with the two officials who threw their flags on the play.

“We’ve looked at it,” Petty said of the play. “We’ve talked to the officials. Two officials made the call almost simultaneously. They felt they got it right based on the rules. There isn’t evidence that would cause us to overturn it. It’s unfortunate.”

The rule the officials were enforcing is the section on fighting (Section 2-11). It defines fighting as any action by a player to move “in a combative manner unrelated to football.” And the punishment is the same “whether or not there is contact or not.”

Petty said kicking is clearly included in the rule, and they can clearly see a kick in one of the videos. That is exactly what Favero is frustrated that he can’t address in an appeal hearing.

“Chase Nelson will never get this back,” Favero said. “It was not a premeditated attempt to violate any of the rules of football. We want a decision based on evidence, not on opinion or what’s easy or because someone didn’t have time.”

Goble told the Deseret News that Nelson shouldn’t be penalized for an involuntary response to pain.

Popular Comments

Here's the irony of the entire situation; the coach uses the doctor's
report to show the player's knee is injured and thusly should not be
suspended as the action was an involuntary reaction to injury. They even go on
the detail the
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6:14 a.m. Nov. 5, 2013

Top comment

Big Papi

South Jordan, 00

Either the article didn't do enough to share the officials' side, or
the officials didn't feel like they needed to justify anything... Which I
think is their biggest problem. Everyone that saw the video commented that it
didn't
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9:36 p.m. Nov. 4, 2013

Top comment

IRS Agent

PROVO, UT

Based on the severity of the injury described by the medical professional, it
sounds like he should probably sit out a game so as not to risk further injury.
I can't imagine a coach with so much concern over his player being hurt
would
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Amy Donaldson covers high school sports, winter and Olympic sports, as well as outdoor and recreation. She contributes to the Deseret News' Reasons to Run blog, as well as a twice-a-month fitness column. She also writes a more ..

Trevor Phibbs is a reporter who joined the Deseret News in 2008. He currently is the Weber State beat writer and also covers high school athletics and the Utah Blaze. Phibbs was raised in Sandy, Utah where he graduated more ..